


Royally Awkward

by AngryCakeChids



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Also a bit of a jerk, Do I usually slip in swears as casually as this, F/M, Ginoza is a massive tsundere, Kougami still fucks things up, Royalty AU, had to chance it from G
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 06:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5616766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngryCakeChids/pseuds/AngryCakeChids
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kougami Shinya accidentally becomes a royal match-maker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Royally Awkward

**Author's Note:**

> Taking a break from the werewolves and doing a oneshot in another AU. Yay!

Since an all scale siege had broken out at the Tsunemori palace, Kougami Shinya, personal bodyguard to the princess, had wasted little time in hurriedly escorting Princess Akane to safety. Yet as they stumbled around in the dark, the rain seemed to pour down in sheets, and the forest they’d taken refuge in, believing it would cover them from their enemies had begun to act like a cage. Kougami, being a gentlemen (after years of training and experience of being a servant), had offered Akane his jacket, which she had gratefully taken with stiff fingers, but too late it seemed; both were still covered in mud and their clothes and skin scratched, and raindrops soaking them to the bone.

“Are you alright? We can take a short break if you’re tired,” he offered, as he glimpsed the moon hanging high above their heads. Despite how clear the night was, the moonlight did little in the way of illuminating their path.

“I’m alright, Kougami,” Akane barely looked at her servant as she continued walking steadfastly with very little sense of direction, but as she stumbled over an unseen root, Kougami caught her, and she had little option but to pause. “Where are we going to go? We’ve been wandering around for hors now… we don’t even know where we are.” Despite her normally optimistic nature and outlook, with all that had happened that day, she was tired, and was finding the never-ending situation bleak.

“I’m sorry, Lady Akane,” he addressed her by her title, as fitting as a servant to his master. “I failed in my duty as your guard.” He as well was feeling the strain, and Akane couldn’t stand friends of hers being sad, so she snapped out of her own funk and attempted to cheer up her companion.

“You haven’t failed,” she shook her head, little droplets of water spraying off her hair. “We’re both still alive, and you saved me back there. If we had stayed, we could have died.”

“Thank you, Milady,” he dipped slightly in a rather awkward bow, and they set off walking again, at a much slower pace this time. As they waked, Kougami’s eyes scanned his head from side-to-side, seeking out something to guide them, but the copse was thick, impenetrable, but finally, after what could have been an hour, or two hours (there was nothing to indicate the passage of time), he saw something that gave him a shred of hope. A light, shining faintly through various trunks. “Milady, there’s something over there.”

Curious and grateful, the pair sprinted to chase the light for a better glimpse of the source. “It’s a… city, it looks like from here… and a castle!” Akane chirped joyfully.

“A castle’s good. Maybe if we’re lucky we can warn them of the kingdom waging war, so they can avoid it at all costs… and their support at a stretch,” he shrugged before walking ahead. “They’ll help us if they know you’re a princess.” After that, his pace quickened until they stood in front of the door in no time at all, feeling weary. “Welp, here we are. All I can do now is knock and hope to God somebody answers.” As he spoke, he knocked loudly and impatiently, before settling against the wall to wait.

Ten minutes passed, and the bodyguard was going to knock again, after Akane urged him to do so, when a crabby voice called out through the wooden door. “Do you have **_any_** idea what time it is? If it’s not important, leave and come back in the morning.” Sensing the pair hadn’t moved an inch, there was a loud groan and continued. “Alright. State your name and your business.”

Kougami glanced at the royal stood next to him, and she inclined her head towards the door in a gesture that said _you do it_. “We apologize for bothering you at this time, sir. My name is Kougami Shinya, and I come to you with the Princess Tsunemori Akane. The palace was attacked, and we were unfortunately forced to flee. We’ve been running for hours with no destination nor supplies, and we would be most grateful to you if we were allowed to shelter here.” The person behind the door remained silent for a long while, so long that Kougami shrugged at Akane in confusion. _Had he just upped and left them standing there like a pair of idiots in the rain?_ “Hello? You still there?”

Disliking the bodyguard’s insolent tone, the voice was even snappier and crabbier than it had been originally. “I’m thinking; don’t rush me. If you’re that impatient, then you may as well come inside.”

“Thank you!” Akane raised her voice above the din of the rain since Kougami was remaining silent – he had little tolerance for rude people, though he did an effort of keeping his anger bottled when the situation called for it – as he pushed open the door. To their surprise, the entrance hall, though grand, was totally empty, not a soul in sight. Rashly, a single thought crossed her mind: _ghosts?_

“Is anybody here…?” Kougami frowned at the scene around him, seeking out something to indicate a real, live person lived there. He shrugged and turned to the princess again, and spoke to her in a hushed tone. “We were told to come in, but-”

“I’m coming, I’m coming. Can’t you wait for even one second?!”

Finally, a person emerged from the shadows, dressed in silks which told Akane he was a dignitary of some kind, most likely a prince due to his young age. For a few seconds, his green eyes lingered on Akane, a strange expression playing across them, before flicking up to meet Kougami’s steel ones, annoyance clearly displayed on his face. “Wonderful. Just what I need. More people annoying me because they need my help.”

Since she’d known Kougami for the majority of her life, she could read his body language and understood that this man’s arrogant comment had irked him; however, he kept up the civil act, not wanting to make enemies where he needed friends. “What is your name, good sir? I failed to ask before.”

“Ginoza Nobuchika. And from now on, you refer to me _Your Majesty_ , not _sir_.”

“Your Majesty?!” Kougami’s eyebrows shot up, but a subtle jab in the ribs from Akane made him lower them again. This title naturally surprised him, since it belonged to kings, not princes, which had been his assumption for this guy. “Wait. As in Ginoza Nobuchika, the youngest king to ever rule…? So, we’re in Saitama-ku, huh…?”

“That’s correct. You said you came from the Tsunemori Palace. Where is King Tsunemori?” Ginoza crossed his arms across his chest and glared at the bodyguard.

“His whereabouts are currently unknown, but I’m sure the King managed to escape to safety as we did.” King Ginoza seemed to consider this for a bit, looking at his feet and frowning, so Kougami was once more obliged to prompt him. “Your… Majesty?”

“I’ve made up my mind,” he spoke at last, looking Kougami directly in the eye. “I’ve decided I don’t like you. Please escort yourself out of this kingdom and don’t return. It’s a possibility you’re luring your enemies to my kingdom.”

“We have nowhere else to go!” Akane protested, feeling as if she was about to burst into tears. _This… This asshole!_ Sending somebody away based on personal feelings just wasn’t heard of in the Tsunemori palace in Tokyo – especially if they were in need! It just wasn’t done!

“There are no benefits for me or my kingdom if I let you stay,” he sighed. “The most I could gain from the Tsunemori family is relations anyway.” With that, he turned his back to them and began stalking off deeper into the castle, but once again sensing that they hadn’t moved, he stopped. “Please leave. I’m tired and I don’t want to deal with this – or you – any longer.” Thus, he started off again.

Kougami’s cry halted him once again, to his annoyance. “Hey, wait!” Ginoza didn’t look at them. “She’ll marry you!” Akane stared at him in horror, mouth hanging agape – how dare he perceive her as some object to use as a bartering chip! Oh, she would give him hell when the King ultimately and inevitably kicked them out again. “King Ginoza, will you take the princess’s hand in marriage?” She would have slapped him for even daring proceed any further.

Enough was enough, so she stepped in to voice her protests. “Kougami! What are you doing?! That’s crazy! You’re not serious, are-”

“Fine,” Ginoza agreed nonchalantly.

“Wait a second!” Akane broke in, fury at both men nearly overwhelming her. “I never said I’d marry you. You can’t do that!”

“I can and I will,” for a brief second, his eyes met hers, but then he turned away from her. “If you disagree, you can just leave.”

Akane leant in to whisper in her guard’s ear. “I can’t marry this guy, he’s an absolute dick!” He shushed her and pointed at him urgently as if to say _he can probably hear you_. Akane cared little about this arrogant bespectacled man.

“The wedding will take place two months from now. As I’ve said before, if you don’t like it, you and your dog servant here can leave,” his green eyes gleamed dangerously at Kougami, but not so much at the charge he was protecting. “Since you’re still undecided, there’s some rooms befitting for somebody of your status not far from here. I’ll let the landlord know of your arrival. Now, we’re done here, right?” He stalked off, with an emotionless “Goodnight,” tossed over his shoulder before he vanished again.

***

To the King’s credit, the rooms were rather luxurious and allowed them some privacy. “Wow, this place is pretty sweet. Nice of the king to let us stay!” Kougami commented with an easy smile, but upon seeing the princess’s more than disgruntled expression, it quickly slipped off of his face one again. “Lady Akane, please don’t look at me like that; my only intention was protecting yo-”

“Yes, because marrying me off definitely protects me!” she snapped back at him, having no patience for his bullshit in the slightest.

“We could have been left without shelter for days, maybe even weeks. We’d have no food, either. If I hadn’t said that, we’d be back out there crashing around in the countryside. Please, try to understood, Milady,” he attempted to soothe her anger. “He did mention that a benefit would be relations to the Tsunemori family, so it was a rather snap decision on my part.” As he spoke, Akane, tired with her bones aching, sat on the edge of the bed – oh, how tempting it would be to just collapse – and largely ignored her servants excuses. “Well, it’s late, and you’ve been through an awful lot today. Get some rest, Lady Akane.” To his credit, Kougami could tell when he was indirectly being dismissed, and promptly left.

Having no clean clothes, she stripped to her undergarments and curled up beneath the thin sheets and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the downy pillow.

Several hours later, as the sun shone brightly above the city, loud banging on her door stirred her and she blinked blearily before calling over: “Come in…”

Kougami barged in, holding some material in his hands; Akane noted that he was dressed in clean garments, possibly new. “Some palace worker came and delivered these to my door.” He threw the dress at her, and she caught it rather inelegantly before moaning as she realised it was a dress. “What?”

“Does nobody realise that pants are more practical?”

“Yeah, well, when we’re in another kingdom, we have to keep up appearances, so unfortunately, there will be no trousers today, Milady,” he winked as he continued. “However, should I happen to find some whilst I’m shopping for my _younger sister_ , it’s likely I’ll buy some.” Out of courtesy, he faced the wall as she got changed, speaking to fill the silence. “It’s probably a good idea if we go to speak to His Majesty King Ginoza the Asshole again, and properly show him our gratitude.”

“Count me out,” she rolled her eyes. Even hearing his name, even in a disrespectful context, pissed her off. “There is no way I’m talking to him ever again.”

“Well, that’s going to be one hell of an awkward wedding.” If it was anybody else, they would have been reprimanded for impertinence, but Kougami knew his long-lasting friendship with Princess Akane meant he was an exception in most cases, since she took his flippant remarks rather well. “He would have been in a bad mood yesterday, since we did disturb him in the middle of the night. Let’s give him another chance.”

Once Akane had dressed and been persuaded by Kougami to forgive the rude royal, they set off at a brisk pace towards the palace, to find it bereft of its King. However, there was a servant who appeared to have been waiting for them. “Are you Princess Tsunemori Akane?” she asked, bowing gracefully. “His Majesty requested that I present this to you, Lady Tsunemori.” With that, she held out a silver platter, with a scroll wrapped in green ribbon on it. Akane hastily pulled on the envelope and unrolled the scroll to find a message from the King.

**I went to go take care of some business. I’ll be back before the wedding. Signed, Ginoza Nobuchika.**

“So much for a second chance,” she sighed through her teeth, trying not to get angry.

“Sorry about your awkward wedding,” Kougami grimaced.

“You’re not helping, Kougami,” she hissed back as a warning, before turning to the maid, who clearly had something more to say.

“His Majesty would also like you to know that he has organised people to deal with your wedding, so you can spend your stay here at the greatest of ease. However, he requires you to co-operate with them should they need your input, Lady Tsunemori.”

“Hey, could you… pass on a message for me to His Majesty?” The title was scathing on her tongue, eyes filled with irritation. “Firstly, his kindness is most appreciated. And secondly…” she raised her voice to the point it could have been considered obnoxious. “I’m not an object.”

With that, she swirled out of the palace, skirts swishing around her ankles, Kougami hot on her heels… leaving the poor maid to panic about how she could express that to the King without seeming impertinent.

For a while, they wandered the city streets in stony silence, until Kougami suggested they stop for a drink, since the weather was so dreadfully cold. Akane obliged, and they entered the first café they saw, a small, secluded affair. No, they wouldn’t be recognized here.

“So, what do you think, my lady? Do you like the city?” Kougami asked as the waitress served two hot chocolates.

“It would be better if the ruler wasn’t such a jerk,” she shot back glumly, and he laughed at that.

“Come on, there could be a chance he’s actually a nice person!” Kougami held his hands up in protest, not believing a word he was saying. Still, anything to try and rectify his mistake.

“A very small chance. Minute. This big.” Akane held up her forefinger and thumb incredibly close together, and the servant laughed again.

“A low possibility means it’s not zero,” the guard smiled knowingly at his mistress, and for the first time since their arrival, it was reciprocated. “Still, I wonder where he went, exactly. It’s a little odd – and rude, if I can be blunt – to agree to marry somebody and disappear.”

“He’s avoiding me,” Akane sighed. _Yeah, so I don’t get to see what a douche he is before I’m stuck with him._

“Why on earth would he do that? You’re a wonderful person, Lady Akane, and His Majesty will realise it soon enough.” He looked down at his drink, purposely avoiding her gaze. “Are you still angry with me?”

“I just wish you would have considered my feelings more before making such a snap decision for me,” she sighed heavily through her nose. Well, there was no point playing the ‘What If’ game. The past could not be changed.

“In hindsight, I wish I had done that, too, Princess Akane,” he took a sip of his hot chocolate. “I was focused primarily on your protection and wellbeing rather than your happiness. Please forgive me, Milady.”

Akane said nothing.

***

The next two weeks were a blur of wedding planners, swarming her, taking measurements, asking her opinions, taking her around the tour of the cathedral, most of them sans Kougami, and she rarely had time to even stop and think. As she was wont to do when she was feeling cramped by stress, she took a walk, dressing in the trousers and shirt Kougami had purchased for her, secretly slipping them to her just before she went to bed. Finally, she found respite in a rather secluded park, where she relaxed lazily on a bench, closing her eyes, despite the chilling temperatures.

“Well, only six more weeks to go,” she whispered to herself, “and Ginoza still isn’t here – how am I meant to get married to him if he keeps pulling vanishing stunts like this?” She scowled at the floor, and found herself staring at a grubby and scratched pair of shoes.

“Your highness, is that you?” a deep voice interrupted her thoughts, and she flinched, fearing an enemy of her father’s. When she looked up, she found herself staring at a man donned in a white jacket.

“Saiga!” she beamed at him, patting the bench to indicate her father’s personal advisor to sit next to her to rest his legs. “I’m glad you’re alright, Saiga.” She really was – it was proof that others had escaped the siege. “What of my parents? Why are you here?”

“Looking for you, mainly, and Kougami as well,” the elder sighed as he sat down rather heavily on the bench. “I’ve been going around for several weeks, actually.”

“Mother? Father?” Akane pressed.

“Safe, my lady,” Saiga nodded. “We got assistance from another kingdom, but I was unable to identify them. My apologies.”

“No matter. Does that mean we can return home?”

“I hate to be the bearer of the bad news, but no. It’s too dangerous, currently. I kept getting captured on my journey,” Saiga shrugged this off like it was no big deal.

On the other hand, Akane was mortified. “ _You were captured_?!”

“Aye, but I’m also quite smart, though I don’t look it. I escaped several times over,” he straightened up, bones cracking as he did so. “I really can’t stay, as much as I would like to. I have to return to your father as soon as I can. He requires my advice, but he couldn’t spare a large search party. It would attract attention. Forgive me, my lady.” He inclined his head for a moment. “If it’s alright with you, could you stay here for the time being? I’ll send for the both of you when the borders have been secured.”

“Understood, Saiga,” she stood up and shook his hand, as if they were equals. “Send my love to Mother and Father, will you?”

“I will, my lady,” he smiled and walked away again. He could travel fairly fast for an elderly man. With that, Akane made her way back to her temporary lodgings, the chill already seeping through the fabric, goosepimples raising on her arms.

Once she was safely inside, she shut the door behind her and was about to crash on her bed when she noticed a piece of paper that had evidently been slotted under the door. Curiously, she picked it up. It couldn’t have been off Kougami, since anything he decreed as urgent – which, knowing his paranoia, was most things – he would have tracked her down to tell her. So who could this be off?

**I called by earlier to check on you, but you appeared to be out. Your dog servant had no idea where you were. I’m having dinner tonight at seven, and you’re welcome to join me. You can decline if you want to, but I have something for you. Signed, Ginoza Nobuchika.**

Akane scowled at the blunt way of speaking – he could have been slightly nicer, couldn’t he? But no, he sounded as crabby and business-like as usual. Still, there was some extra writing underneath his signature, considerably smaller than the main message, but there nonetheless.

**P.S. I received your message. If you must know, I never saw you as such.**

With a sigh, she collapsed on her bed and checked the timepiece. Three. Plenty of time to get some shut eye and dress adequately for such an event. There was a pink yukata which she hoped would be suitable for such an event. Whatever, it wasn’t like she wanted to impress the arrogant king, but she had to keep up appearances for her family’s sake.

***

When she was escorted in by a servant and seated opposite her fiancé – she expected the table to be much longer, but they were closer together than she would have liked, but it was hardly like she could complain. Ginoza had wasted no expense in this affair, with the room aptly decorated. As she was seated, he said nothing and simply stared at her, before passing a small box over to her silently. She opened it to find a simple ring – thank goodness it wasn’t anything flashy – and slid it on her finger with vehemence, and for a brief second, something that resembled worry flickered across his eyes before settling down. Even so, she thanked him, as not to appear rude.

“Where have you been?” Not being able to bear the silence, Akane spoke up first, asking the question that had been pressing on her mind.

Ginoza, on the other hand, was nowhere near as chatty as they ate, and simply responded: “Nowhere important. It’s none of your business.” He was just as awful as the day they’d met and parted again. And for some reason, this really pissed her off. If he was going to be callous and rude, then why did he bother agreeing to Kougami’s ridiculous offer? Hell, she would have preferred walking to Kyoto over this!

“How could you just leave like that?! You’re the worst…” she scowled at him, sorely tempted to hurl the ring right between his smug little eyes.

If this annoyed him, he didn’t show it, and spoke with that same indifference as always. “Whatever you say.” Then he spoke again, as if bothered by it, but trying – and failing – to cover it up.  “So I’m the worst… what makes you say that?” He nodded at the servants who brought the food in.

“You left without saying goodbye!” she hissed.

“But I just met you. I don’t have to say goodbye to a stranger,” he pointed out, almost innocently.

 _But you can marry one, huh…_ Akane thought darkly, narrowing her eyes at him. “Even if we are strangers, it would have been nice of you to say goodbye, at the very least.” She huffed, tempted to cross her arms like a child, but she resisted the urge.

“Princess, there’s no need to make a fuss about something like that,” he did seem generally bothered by the fact that he’d upset her, despite their being ‘strangers’.  “Oh… I never asked your name, did I?” he seemed to be frowning at himself, rather than his companion.

Still, she felt like defying him, annoying him, just getting a reaction out of him, just out of petty spite and a need to prove a point. “Why would a name matter to you? It’s not like you care.”

He did indeed seem affronted by this, and Akane couldn’t help but feel smug. “Why would you assume I don’t care? Because I do.” He tucked into his meal with a small “hmph”.

After a while, she assented. “It’s Akane, if you must know.”

“I do have to know,” he pointed out. “We’re getting married, in the off chance that you forgot. Still, that’s a pretty name.”

“Thank you,” she graced him with an answer.

It was he who started conversation once more. “So how have things been here without me?”

Still stand-offish, she answered him, since he seemed genuinely worried about his kingdom. “Fine.”

“Good, because I was worried that some disaster would happen. It’s like every problem around here can’t be solved without me.” _Arrogant asshole_.  Then he sighed, like a world-weary man. “If the war doesn’t get any better I may have to go out there again…” He seemed to be talking more to himself then Akane. _Am I so boring he feels the need to talk to himself?_

“Go out where?” she enquired, and he finally realised she’d overheard him.

“Nowhere,” he snapped quickly.

“What if this kingdom gets attacked as well? We won’t have anywhere to go…” she didn’t feel like eating, and she had no idea why she was confiding her worries to this guy of all people.

“It’s alright. My army is strong. They’ll take care of any enemies. I promise you, Akane.” When she finally looked up at him, he was smiling softly. “Whilst you’re here, there’s no need to worry about anything. I’ll keep you and… um… What was your servant called again? Kagami?”

“It’s _Kougami,_ not Kagami.”

“Kougami, Kagami. Same difference,” he sounded like a grumpy child, and Akane allowed herself a brief giggle, and once she’d composed herself, she saw a strange light in the King’s eyes as well. She had no idea what he was thinking, but the king felt as if he had heard the most beautiful sound ever.

So that wound up being their routine for most days – during the day, Ginoza would be swamped with problems and issues arising in his domain, as Akane and Kougami dealt (rather badly on Kou’s part) with various wedding organisers – to the extent they both agreed that the king had gone over the top for such a private affair. Kougami even had various disagreements with the far too eager priest, a ginger-haired boy who looked as if he really wasn’t qualified to work in a church. (He wasn’t, but nobody had to know that, least of all the pair he was marrying off). In the evenings, Kougami would escort Akane to the palace before slinking off to have a few pints with said priest, who he discovered was named Kagari and he wasn’t local.

“I thought priests in this country weren’t allowed to drink,” he pointed out as Kagari began to steadily chug down a beer.

“They’re not,” Kagari admitted. “But just you try and stop me.”

Akane discovered Ginoza’s favourite colour was green, and in a moment of weakness, he told her he had little need for glasses, and she’d carefully slid them off of his face to look at him properly, and smiled to assure him he looked fine without them. In turn, Ginoza found out that Akane had a penchant for literature, which was owed to Kougami’s influence, and that she couldn’t swim either. “That’s alright then, considering Saitama is nowhere near the sea.” At this, she had laughed.

One time, he’d said very little, and she was only a little worried that she’d gotten far too comfortable and slipped up somewhere. Well, whatever. She didn’t live to please him. Still, she had to ask him why he was staring at her like that. “What? Why do you keep staring at me?”

As if snapping out of a daydream, he thrust something fragrant under her nose, and it took her a few seconds to realise precisely what they were. “These are for you.” Red roses were clutched in his right hand… was he shaking? That was adorable.

“Why did you get me these?”

“You’re my fiancée, aren’t you? It’s only appropriate,” he sniffed as she took them from his hands, shoving his returned glasses up his nose.

“Thank you, anyway,” Akane told him, and that seemed to spark some kind of reminder in his mind.

“By the way, your kingdom should be safe now,” he told her in confidence, and she frowned – not angry, just perplexed.

“How did you know about that? I only found out when a personal servant of my father’s told me…” she said, suspicious.

“I just heard some things,” he waved her down. “Um, well…. Anyway, tomorrow’s meant to be a nice day, for a change. Would you possibly like to go out?” Though barely noticeable in the light, she believed she saw a pink flush flaring across his cheeks.

So she decided to have some fun with him, this arrogant and easily flustered king. “As in on a date?”

“Y-yes. On a date. I like spending time with you,” he coughed awkwardly. “There’s a private park I was thinking we could go to. Of course, only if you’d… like to, of course.” Who knew that someone who was so up their own ass could get so embarrassed at such a little thing like that?

The ceremony was only three weeks off; time had flown by, but she recalled every moment she’d spent with Ginoza over the past three weeks, and she had no idea why she’d bothered to remember them, when she didn’t care for the king at all. Or was she just deluding herself? It was nice to hear Ginoza say he enjoyed spending time with her.

As arranged, he came to pick her up the next morning, ignoring Kougami glowering at him from his position leant against the wall, and as promised, he took her to his favourite park, the one Akane had wandered in and discovered a weary Saiga. She wondered how everyone back at home was handling things. Saiga had said an unknown army had stormed in and saved them.

As they reclined under a willow, the weak sunlight filtering through, Ginoza broke the tranquillity. “Do you want to know why I really left?”

“Of course I do,” Akane answered. _Who wouldn’t, in her situation?_

After some deliberation, Ginoza explained. “I went to go and drive the soldiers out of the Tsunemori palace. My army barely managed to win, but we did. They’re still going around attacking other kingdoms though, so people need to be really careful. If I had more time and a bigger army, then maybe I could end this war…”

“So you’re leaving again?” Why was this news upsetting to her? Some part of her was secretly insisting that she would miss his company.

“Not right now. The wedding’s too near. The war can wait,” he sounded almost hateful of the war, before his voice evened out again. “Speaking of which, it’s pretty soon, isn’t it?”

“I still haven’t got anything to wear. The planners haven’t said anything about it,” she shrugged, before furtively arranging herself so she was leaning on Ginoza, their hands only centimetres apart.

“I’ll organize it for you, don’t worry,” he sounded concerned, and vaguely annoyed, but that was his general mood, she’d learned. “Also, you can invite whoever you want, I don’t particularly mind.”

“You don’t care who comes?!” she was flabbergasted.

“Well, we need you and me, obviously, as well as the priest, Kagari, and that Kagami servant because we need a witness.” He had never been one for large social affairs, which was inconvenient, since his job occasionally revolved around holding large social gatherings filled with strangers, which bored him and tired him in equal measure. Akane had not the strength to bother arguing with him or correcting him on Kougami’s name.

Trying to be just as secretive as she had been, he rested his fingers lightly on top of hers, expecting her to draw back, but she didn’t.

“Are you looking forward to the wedding?” she asked him, looking for a distraction.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” he answered, and they fell quiet again.

Naturally, she tried again.  “Why did you even go and help my parents with the invaders?”

“Your family and home are important to you, so I don’t want you to lose anything you hold dear,” he said that as if it was nothing. He had done that for a complete stranger… despite his tough guy act, he was actually a nice person underneath. Dammit, Kougami had been right about something again. “Actually, I met your father whilst I was there…” he chuckled slightly.

“Really? Was he alright? What did you think of him?” Despite assurances that both her family members were alive and well, that did little to lessen her worries for them.

“He was fine. Personally, I thought he was kind of quiet… but we all have our faults. Me especially,” the last part was mumbled as if he didn’t want Akane to overhear, despite their close proximity.

“Did you tell him about our engagement?”

“No, I figured that I would leave that to you,” he smirked at her expression. “And Akane… Sorry about spending so much time away.”

“It’s fine. You saved my home and my people, didn’t you? That’s more than anyone could ask for.”

“I-I guess so. But completely defeating the enemy army will take a couple of years, maybe even three or more.”

“You’re a good guy, Ginoza,” she told him, before pecking him on the cheek.

He went bright red, then incredibly pale, and she was astounded that the king didn’t pass out.

“Why did you even agree to marry me in the first place?” she asked him the second question that had been bugging her for weeks.

He seemed to consider how to explain himself, before wording it carefully. “I decided to give your servant a chance. Originally, I didn’t like him at all since I thought that he was weak, but I have to admit, he has guts. You should appreciate him more. Did he get that dress for you?”

“Yeah, but I’m not fond of the colour, in all honesty,” she admitted, wrinkling her nose.

“Personally, I think it looks good on you, but we all have preferences. This may sound strange, but I get the feeling you didn’t like me when we met…”

“To tell you the truth, that’s because I didn’t.”

“Oh. Well, I was right. Um, and when I said I didn’t like you two when we met, I was lying. Okay, well, not entirely. I didn’t like your servant. Something about him annoyed me, but you were nice. You looked kind of scared, too. And I was cranky. It was very late at night. Also, strange question, but do you still hate me?”

“Why would I hate you?” _I just kissed your cheek, for God’s sake, you oblivious, anxious, idiot!_

“When we met you seemed extremely opposed to getting married. I don’t know if you still feel that way, but, uh…”

“Hey, tell me something. How does one as young as you become King?”

His face hardened, turned stony, but he answered all the same, voice filled with no affection whatsoever. “My father ran away and my mother died giving birth to me.”

“Your dad sounds kind of irresponsible,” the unbidden comment slipped out, but to her surprise, it appeased him rather than angered him.

“Yes, he was. He was also a weak man and a coward, but you know… he knew how to love people. And that’s why he was always getting hurt, and eventually he decided he’d had enough and left. You seem better at understanding others than me. Do you think he ran away because of me?”

“Of course he didn’t. He was just sad.”

“Probably. I guess being a leader just got on top of him… do you think it will get on top of me too?”

“No,” she answered quickly, truthfully. “You’re stronger than that.”

***

For the final week before the wedding, the bride and groom were not permitted to see each other unless it was the day of the ceremony, so Akane listened to Kougami recount the various adventures he and the priest had gotten up to, before telling her about her and Ginoza’s dates, but divulged no personal information.

“Wait, you’re telling me _he_ saved our kingdom’s ass?!”

“Pretty much.”

“Well, as they say, never judge a book by its cover.”

Eventually, inevitably, the day of the wedding rolled around, and Akane’s preparations – she still hadn’t got a wedding dress, dammit – were disturbed by a loud knocking on the door. “Come in!” she called after sighing to herself, and was taken aback by the visitor. The king was clad in a white suit, his face almost closed off, and grim. “G-Ginoza?”

“Here, I got this for you.” He held out the wedding dress, and Akane studied it. It really was beautiful. Had it been handmade especially?

“Hey,” Ginoza broke the silence that had fallen.  

“Yeah?” Akane looked up at him, expecting that smile that had been emerging more and more lately to be on his face. It wasn’t. It was back to the serious demeanour.

“I’ll take you back to your kingdom if you want.” He said it quickly but concisely, and she heard every syllable.

“Wh-What?” she stammered.

“If you don’t want to marry me, then you can return to your kingdom since it’s not under attack anymore. I’ll have some soldiers escort you so you’ll be safe.” It sounded as though he was expecting her to jump on his offer like a wolf on prey, but she didn’t.

“Why didn’t you say earlier? Why now on our wedding day?”

“I’ve been so terribly rude,” he launched into an explanation. “Rude and selfish. I don’t want to force you into anything you don’t want to do. I’ll give you some time to think. I’ll be waiting at the church. Come when you’re ready.”

Without a goodbye, he left, looking somewhat hurt. Had he been thinking that Akane wanting nothing more than to be rid of him? Because it wasn’t true; she wanted to tell him he was wrong. But he was gone now, so she swapped out the fanciest dress she currently owned – hoping it would be a decent substitute – and into the pure white garments, twirling like a child, before slipping out of the back entrance, where Kougami was waiting. “You look nice. It’s weird,” he shook his head. “I’ve known you since you were a kid, and here you are, getting married. I’m older than you, dammit, I should be doing this first.”

At the church, Ginoza had seemed to be partaking in a one-sided conversation with the priest, but paused when the duo approached. “You look beautiful in that dress,” he smiled, almost tenderly. “So, um… have you made a decision yet?”

“Yes.” She stared at him directly in the eye.

“Alright, so what do you want?”

“I’ll marry you, Ginoza.”

This visibly shocked him, and he flushed bright red (Kougami snorted at this, but Akane jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow). “You mean it? You really mean it?” Before he could stop himself, he was chattering away, euphoria rushing to his head. “I’m glad. No, I’m really happy. I’m sorry that I was cold at the beginning. It’s a terrible habit of mine to push people away since I don’t exactly want to get hurt. And I know I don’t show it well at all… but I care about you. A lot.”

“Alrighty then, let’s get this started, shall we? Now, Gino, sir-” Kagari cut him off before the fool could make himself look stupid. His usage of sir made Kougami glare at the pair of them; he’d been forced to suck up to the king and call him ‘Your Majesty’, which he detested using “-Repeat after me: _I, Ginoza Nobuchika, take you, Tsunemori Akane, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part._ ”

Voice shaking, Ginoza complied.  “I, Ginoza Nobuchika, take you, Tsunemori Akane, to have and to hold from this day forward… I… uh… what comes after that?”

Kagari rolled his eyes like a grumpy teenager.  “Oh, I can’t be arsed, it takes too long anyway. I pronounce you husband and wife-”

“Wait, you have to do things properly!” Kougami snapped at his newfound drinking partner.

“Just you try and make me. Anyways, you can now kiss the bride. If you really want to. I’m going to stare at you so you get uncomfortable.” The priest shrugged, but Ginoza and Akane weren’t focusing on his antics, but each other. Kougami, however, was not so pleased with the self-proclaimed priest.

“Akane… Thank you for putting up with me and not leaving. I’ll try and make sure our future is filled with happiness,” Ginoza leant in and kissed her then, and Akane ended up smiling.

They didn’t hear the forced retching noises from their priest, or the protest of pain as he was inevitably punched.


End file.
